Rising From Ashes

Bonus Chapter - Sidious

Author's Note: A little something with Sidious, to show y'all a glimpse into his head. :')

WARNING: Implied past rape/non-con.

~ Amina Gila

Reliving it again is... satisfying. Far more than he thought it could be, to feel the livedrain from this body. But it infuriates him that he had to feel Cosinga's twisted Force presence ever again. That was Plagueis' doing, like so much of his life. "Plagueis is on Exegol," Sidious tells his apprentices at last, turning to face them. "Hiding in a Sith Temple. He has other mind-controlled forces there, but I did not see the extent of them."

He senses an instant, but familiar, flare of anxiety. He understands it. Plagueis hurt them nearly irreparably, and Sidious will never forget how Plagueis nearly took Vader from him. They're afraid, and uncertain they're ready.

"You must be prepared," Sidious adds, "He has... done much to you, but let your fear turn to hate. It will give you the power you need to destroy him. It is your destiny." This may not be what they want to hear, but it is the way of the Sith. It was all Sidious knew, and it's all he needs to know. He can feel their fear – something he well understands himself – but they need to control it.

"What if one of us dies?" Vader inquires quietly. He sounds scared. His fear of Plagueis has been holding him back, as it has for all of them. But it was only that fear which prevented them from going to their deaths.

"Your bond ties you together forever," Sidious assures, because he knows far more than he wants to about Force dyads.

It was a drawn-out Dark Side ritual done over a period of time, and what it required wasn't something Sidious would ever have agreed to, not when it meant surrendering himself to an intimacy that he didn't want. Plagueis never gave him a choice.

He can't begin to imagine what it would be like to have such a bond with someone he saw as an equal. He can't even imagine what it would mean, to see someone that way. "That is not of concern."

He cares for the twins, yes, but that is different. They're his apprentices. He made them. Forged them. They're... his. Sidious never cared to have... family, or whatever the normal term is for it. He never has. They serve no purpose. But after he saw the twins, and started spending time with them, he started... wondering sometimes. He could never ignore the strength of their bond.

He had been cautious of it at first. He expected it to be as twisted as his own with Plagueis, but it's not. What they share is something... purer. Likely because of how it formed. That – that was unnatural. Unreal.

But the twins mutually want to have whatever it is they do, and he has wondered countless times over the years how they can share such a bond, and what it would mean to have that with another.

Sith do not trust people. Sidious has never trusted anyone, not even his apprentices. It would be foolish of him to, but still, he... wonders what it would mean to have such blind, fierce loyalty to another, and for it to be so unshakable.

"What if you die?" Vader asks.

The question catches him off-guard. Sidious knows they care for him, even if he can't fully understand what that means. But they have never shown concern of this nature after he revealed his identity. But Sidious already knows the answer. Plagueis, no doubt, did it to ensure Sidious's loyalty, and that he would never be able to betray his master, else he would have eliminated him a long time ago.

Their bond will guarantee Sidious dies, as well.

"You... think it will happen?" Vader guesses finally, quietly, shock spreading across his features.